Front-clasp for corsets.



J. M. WELSH.

FRONT CLASP FOR CORSETS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1908.

Patented 00b. 22, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOCIRAPH CO..WASH1NGTON, D. c.

UNITE STATES PATENT FFQE.

JAMES I'll. WELSH, OF MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNGB, TO THE SPIRELLA COIVIPANY, OF MEADVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

FRGNT-CLASP FOR CORSETS.

Patented Got. 22,1912. Serial No. 432,061.

I0 (/ZZ 11:72am it may concern:

-ie it known that 1, James M. lVELsrt, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Head't'ille, in the county of Crawford, in the Siate of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful improvements in Front-Clasps fer Corsets, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

a full. clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to clasps compris ing a pair of flexible stays applied to the meeting edges of a corset-front and provided with suitable fastening devices con sisting usually of a series of headed studs secured to one stay and engaging aperturcd plates secured to the other stay.

The invention contemplates the use of the wire stay of my prior application Serial No. ,333, filed rioril G, 1908 to produce a front -clasp which possesses superior strength and durability and also the required degree of flexibility, and at the same time is inexpensive to manufacture.

To this end the invention consists of a clasp comprising a pair of stays adapted to be applied to the meeting edges of the front of a corset, each stay being constructed as hereinafter described and claimed, and means applied to the stays for fastening the same together.

in the accompanying drawings Figure l is a front view of the clasp embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a transverse section en the line XX, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings A denotes the two clasp-members which consist of like stays applied to the Vertical edge portions of the corset-front, usually composed of secticns 13 shown by dotted lines, it being understood that the said stays are to be secured within the edge portions in the usual and well known manner and may be provided with suitable fabric coverings commonly used for protecting the corset t'hereat. Each of these stays is composed of wire and is preferably formed of a continuous wire 1 of high grade steel wire and preferably of the quality known as pianowire or music wire in producing the stay, the wire is bent at intervals to form a series of loops 2 of uniform shape and size and preferably circular and disposed alternately in twe parallel rows forming the edges of the stay, the successive loop-connecting portions 3 of the wire being preferably substantially straight and crossing each other at. at. The loopconnecting portions 3 extend from edge to edge of the stay and are disposed alternately at opposite side faces of the stay in parallel planes and out of contact, whereby a wide unobstructed passage 6 is formed throughout the length of the In this passage is inserted a flat reinforcing strip 7 composed of spring metal and having its edges embraced by the two rows of loops. The straight loop-connecting portions 3 eX tend substantially diagonally across the stay and pass alternately over and under two preceding portions, whereby the side of each loop is made to overlap the adjacent side of an adjoining loop, as indicated at 5, and each loop of a row is so arranged that its center is disposed on a transverse line passing midway between the centers of two adjoining loops of the other row. Thus two contiguous oppositely arranged loops form substantially a figure 8. To the ends of the stay are applied the usual sheet metal tips 8 which may be secured thereto in any suitable and convenient manner.

Any suitable means may be employed for fastening the pair of stays together. However, I prefer to use the fastening device shown, which comprises a series of headed studs 9 secured to the metal strip 7 of one stay, and a corresponding number of catchplates 10 secured to the strip 7 of the other stay, by means of rivets 11. These catchplates project from the outer edge of the stay and each is provided with the usual circular aperture 12 and a narrower slot 13 extending from the aperture toward the outer end of the plate, said aperture being adapted to receive the head of the stud therethrough, whereby the shank of the stud is allowed to enter the slot in the well known manner.

What I claim is 1. A front-clasp for corsets comprising a pair of stays each consisting of a continuous spring-wire bent at regular intervals to form a succession of uniform circular loops arranged in two parallel rows, said loops having the connecting portions arranged in two crossing series disposed in parallel planes, the connecting portions of one series being spaced from those of the other series to provide a passage between them extending the entire length of the stay, a straight thin flexible strip inserted through said passage, and means for fastening the stays together.

2. A front-clasp for corsets comprising a pair of stays each consisting of a continuous spring-wire bent at intervals to form two parallel rows of loops arranged at opposite edges of the stay, the loops of each row being disposed in a transverse line extending midway between two adjoining loops of the other row, the loop'connecting portions arranged in two parallel series spaced apart to produce a wide uniform passage extending the entire length of the stay, and a straight thin flexible strip inserted endwise through said passage, the strips of the two stays being provided with fastening means.

3. A front-clasp for corsets comprising a pair of stays each consisting of a single piece of wire and having a thin flexible strip applied thereto, said wire being bent at regular intervals to orm a succession of uniform circular loops alternately embracing the opposite side edges of the strip with the loop-connecting portions disposed in two series extending alternately in reverse obliquity across the opposite faces of the strip, a series of headed studs on the strip of one stay, and a corresponding number of apertured plates secured to the strip of the other stay and adapted to be engaged by said studs.

t. In a frontclasp for corset-s, the combination of a pair of stays each consisting of wire bent at intervals to form a series of loops arranged alternately in two parallel rows with their connecting portions disposed diagonally and crossing one another and disposed on opposite faces of the stays in parallel planes and extending from edge to edge thereof, and means for detachably fastening the two stays together.

5. In a front-clasp for corsets, the combination of a pair of stays each consisting of wire bent at intervals to form a series of loops arranged alternately in two parallel rows, two contiguous oppositely arranged loops forming substantially a figure 8, the loop-connecting portions being disposed alternately on opposite side faces of the stay in substantially parallel planes and out of contact to provide a passage throughout the length of the stay, a reinforcing strip in serted into said passage and having its side edges embraced by the rows of loops, and means applied to the two strips for detachably fastening the stays together.

6. In a front-clasp for corsets, the combination of two stays each consisting of wire bent at intervals to form a series of loops arranged alternately in two parallel rows, the loops of each row overlapping one another and the portions connecting the two rows being disposed alternately on opposite side faces of the stay in substantially parallel planes to provide a wide unobstructed passage extending throughout the length of the stay, a reinforcing member extending lengthwise of the stay, and means applied to the reinforcing members of the two stays for detachably fastening the two stays together.

7. In a front-clasp for corsets, the combination of two stays each consisting of wire bent at intervals to form a series of loops arranged in parallel rows, the connecting portions of the loops being straight and crossing one another and disposed in substantially parallel planes and out of contact to produce a wide unobstructed passage extending throughout the length of the stay, a flat metal strip inserted in said passage, and means for fastening the two stays together.

8. A front-clasp for corsets comprising a pair of stays each composed of wire bent at regular intervals to form two parallel rows of uniform circular loops, the loops of each row being free from one another and the portions connecting the two rows being arranged in two crossing series disposed in parallel planes on opposite faces of the stay, catch-plates projecting from one stay, and means on the other stay adapted to en gage said plates.

JAMES M. *WELSH. Vitnesses IN. W. KINCAID, M. M. BEEMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

